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Thirty Years of Field Work in 'Bloody Harlan' County

Sept. 30, 2013

Following the Hansen Lecture presentation, guest lecturer Alessandro Portelli will travel with Cora Granata and three of her graduate students to the Oral History Association meeting in Oklahoma City. The students will present results of their research and Portelli will be panel commentator. Pictured are, from left, Jennifer Keil, Roldolfo Martin Ugelstad, Granata and Gloria Lopez.

The cover of Alessandro Portelli's book "They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History," published last year by Oxford University Press.

What:

Historian, folklorist, activist and author Alessandro Portelli will present "Harlan County, Kentucky: Thirty Years of Field Work" Tuesday, Oct. 8, at Cal State Fullerton as the 2013 Hansen Lecture in Oral and Public History. The free, public talk is sponsored by CSUF's Center for Oral and Public History.

When/Where:

Who:

Portelli, professor of American Literature at the University of Rome-La Sapienza, is author of the 2012 book "They Say in Harlan County: An Oral History," which is based on his research into the heart of the Kentucky coal fields, its history and culture. He also is author of "The Order has Been Carried Out: History, Memory and Meaning of a Nazi Massacre in Rome" and "Battle of Valle Giulia: Oral History and the Art of Dialogue."

Why:

"Alessandro Portelli is an internationally renowned oral historian and folklorist," said Cora Granata, associate professor of history and associate director of the Center for Oral and Public History. "For decades he's done significant field work both in the United States and in Europe, and he plays a prominent role as a public historian advising political leaders in Italy. I decided to invite Portelli to come to our campus to speak because of the large impact his work has had on our students," she said.

Related:

Granata directs an oral history project and teaches a course by the same name: "From Hitler's Europe to the Golden State," and for both she trains students in oral history methods. "We then collect interviews with Europeans who experienced World War II in Europe and later migrated to California. For that class, all students read Portelli's groundbreaking oral history book, 'The Order Has Been Carried Out: History, Memory and Meaning of a Nazi Massacre in Rome.' "

Granata has organized a conference panel for the Oral History Association's annual meeting in Oklahoma City Oct. 9-13, where three CSUF students will present the results of their research from the oral history project. Portelli will serve as the panel's commentator.